Double Edged Blade
by yaslanagirl
Summary: Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and why is the title, "Double Edged Blade"?
1. Into the Fray

Double Edged Blade, by Elisavan Yaslana

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the work done by Yoshihiro Togashi, nor do I own any works completed by J. K. Rowling. The Characters own themselves and their own actions. I can only take credit for my interpretation of their personality to shape reactions to a previous reaction of the prior action. I can only take credit for the genre, I own the plot line, I have a general idea of what is going on, but I'll be honest and tell you up front, I may become unaware of what my story is doing, even as I write it down. This story is mine for those reasons, but the major building blocks do not belong to me. Expect to see a few sightings of other anime, I will disclaim them at the proper time.

Warning: Language and Questionable Themes. Not Reccomended for children under the age of 13.

Welcome to the Mind Fuck, let me Ninja your brain for a moment/eternity

Enter The Fray -

Kurama sat on his bed, surrounded by thick emerald green drapes, placed there to fight against the drafty cold of the dungeons

Kurama sat on his bed, surrounded by thick emerald green drapes, placed there to fight against the drafty cold of the dungeons. Kurama had known England could get cold, but he honestly hadn't expected to be spending the majority of his time in a drafty dungeon. His familiar jumped up onto the bed with him and made a purring growl, an interesting sound for a cat to make. This is, of course, assuming the cat to be a normal cat. But then one remembers that this is Kurama in question, and the odd sound his 'cat' makes is immediately disregarded.

"Shinku," His hand gently smoothed down the beautiful ears and fur between them, "did you come to keep me company? Or was Malfoy being his normal whiney bitch self?" Kurama thought to himself and chuckled, before Shinku had a chance to answer, he withdrew his inquiry, "Never mind, stupid question."

"_There are no stupid questions, two-foot…_" Shinku trailed off mid-sentence due to a purr that derailed all mental thought processes before continuing wryly, "_Only inquisitive idiots._"

"So, that makes me an inquisitive idiot then, I imagine?" There was a hint of threat in Kurama voice, but mostly pure teasing.

"_No, though most humans have the capacity for it. I was referring to Malfoy with the second remark,_" Shinku's ears gave a twitch and he began to give himself a lick-bath. Well aware of the prickly mass of demonic energy wrapped in squishy human husk beneath him.

Kurama, being the 'prickly mass of demonic energy wrapped in squishy human husk' in question, snarled, "And I suppose you also weren't meaning to insinuate that I was only human?" with much greater defined ice in his voice. There were good reasons why he was put in Slytherin, reasons his human body would rather live without.

'**But if one is honestly supposed to be able to live in the world, there are some traits that are… preferable to others, you know this, you've seen it,'** a mind interrupted his snarl-fest.

_Just because I had to live and grow up with a fully grown conscience and awareness of those traits, courtesy You, does __**not**__ (by a long shot) mean that I've come to see them as inherently good qualities._

'**We'd be dead without them, so they are not inherently evil, either,'** Youko was adamant in his logic and opinion. He'd earned that right, as old as he is and living the way he was for so long, he'd certainly earned it. But Shuuichi is still entitled to his opinion, as biased and sheltered and utterly stupid as it may be.

Shinku interrupted the both of them, "_No, because as Youko just pointed out, there's more than one piece to you, and you hardly fit together without a hitch. Take me to get food, Kurama, the elves won't give me food when I'm alone. Mostly 'cause I can't carry it._" A coiled spring of feline grace landed on the cold flagstone floor before glaring up at Kurama's chuckling figure. Chuckling at _Shinku's_ expense, courtesy the hiss of surprise to the frigid shock of the floor.

Kurama sighed and uncurled his legs, stepped into his shoes and picked Shinku up. Much to his dismay. "Unless you'd rather walk the whole way on the cold floor…" Kurama's statement was an excellent deterrent to the claws that once bit into his arms.

As they ascended into the more hospitable temperatures of the castle, Shinku decided to be an inquisitive idiot. "Are you still on task, as in, do you still remember what you came here for?"

I don't care who you are or who your daddy is. That is **not** a question you ask of a master professional thief, especially not a master professional demonic thief who happens to control plants and is within 20 meters. Shinku was pleasantly nestled in Kurama's arms, being carried like a small baby.

Anyone walking through the Great Hall at that moment would have cringed at the sudden drop in temperature, looked around, and wondered when the House Elves had decorated…with a small-ish feline…of unusual nature and cobalt blue fur. They would also have clung to the walls as a very irritated and not calm Slytherin Sixth year _glided_ down the hall, through the double doors _without touching them_, and _floated_ down the steps.

They would have turned back around to hear the feline wail and mewl incoherently, unable to understand what the blue furred creature was saying, "_I'm guessing that means he still remembers. Damnit, I should have waited more than a month to ask that, it would figure that subject is still touchy for him. I hope he understands that he's the only one who can effectively pull it off. Though why Koenma forbade the rest of the Tantei from even visiting is irritating. Okay, I lied. I'm really pissed off. Fuck, now I'm hungry, tired, thirsty, __**and**__ hanging by my tail from the rafters. I guess I deserve it, though,_" in vain, Shinku tried to reach out to Kurama again, only to find his mind blocked off from within. The upside down cat sighed, "_This is gonna take a while._"

If you haven't gotten the gist of the story so far…

Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and what mission is so sensitive that Kurama must avoid contact with the Tantei?

What's so special and great about this story? Even _**I**_ don't know where the story is going, only the story knows. I just know the general genre, I don't even know the pairing yet. I shock myself with that realization. But can't we let Kurama choose for Kurama? I will do my best to accurately portray each character. Please let me know if you see someone shifting into OOC land, I'll redo that chapter and 'Unfuck' myself. Thank you, Sir!


	2. Tutoring Dimwits

Double Edged Blade, by Elisavan Yaslana

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the work done by Yoshihiro Togashi, nor do I own any works completed by J. K. Rowling. The Characters own themselves and their own actions. I can only take credit for my interpretation of their personality to shape reactions to a previous reaction of the prior action. I can only take credit for the genre, I own the plot line, I have a general idea of what is going on, but I'll be honest and tell you up front, I may become unaware of what my story is doing, even as I write it down. This story is mine for those reasons, but the major building blocks do not belong to me. Expect to see a few sightings of other anime, I will disclaim them at the proper time.

Warning: Language and Questionable Themes. Not Reccomended for children under the age of 13.

Welcome to the Mind Fuck, let me Ninja your brain for a moment/eternity

(This next Chapter is dedicated to MagicalRain and Lcampbell947 for being the best supporters and encouragement of this story so far. Please enjoy!)

Tutoring Dimwits -

Summary so far - Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and what mission is so sensitive that Kurama must avoid contact with the Tantei?

Kurama sat beneath the old willow on the grounds, each little twitch and quiver of the twigs above him not bothering him in the slightest. Honestly, a 300 year old plant master has little to worry about from a willow, regardless of how many other pupils it has whomped in it's 50 odd years on campus. In his hands he cradled a leaf that sported a moving image on its previously green surface. In the first week at school he had made short work of setting up surveillance systems for virtually every corner of the grounds and castle.

Sighing, he let the leaf retract into the roots just beneath the surface. Roots that are part of a large network spanning the entire grounds, constructing the root system alone took Kurama the better part of two days. I say short work because it would have taken anyone else less than a true plant master at least 3 weeks to complete an entire surveillance system that could barely stand up to the lowest standards.

"Che, I don't understand. Sure, I'm the only one who can adequately perform this mission, but would it really be too much to ask to be accompanied by some form of companionship? OTHER than my constantly present irritating demon of a soul," Kurama muttered to himself, annoyed by Koenma's lack of explanation. Once Koenma had commanded that he was to go alone, that had been the end of it, no why's or how's.

His attention caught by the swiftly approaching aura of a female he had come to call a friend, "Shuuichi!" She called, using his more human name he used in school. "Mind if I join you for a while? I've got a break between classes and wanted to talk with you. You seemed quite absent at breakfast this morning. Are you alright?" Her serious and sweet voice had enchanted many other pupils, but her curious energy signature had Kurama on his toes.

An Irish lovely with vibrant red locks not too different from Shuuichi's. Her name had been given to the whole student body at the start of term feast as Professor Jade. In her classes that focused on foreign magicks, she had insisted that her students not use her title. A select few were given the privilege to use her first name, Aurora. Separated by year, the younger students focused on wrapping their minds around foreign concepts (the first years were simply given history lessons on the subjects). The Sixth years would be focusing on Japanese magic for the first half, and depending on how well everyone progressed, she would begin lessons on the American arts at the very end of the year. Aurora had given them all this speech the first day of class, as well as the universal warning for death in the study of Japanese magic. 'It is much easier to kill with the Japanese brand of magick than it is to kill with the tame brand you learn with the rest of your time at Hogwarts. When we practice against eachother, death is a possibility and injury is guaranteed,' after that, they had begun to meditate to search for their inner power well.

Malfoy had turned his nose up at that suggestion and stood in the corner. Kurama frowned and had been about to go speak with him when Jade appeared directly in his path. 'Do you want to become much more powerful? Then I suggest getting your act together, and start focusing your inner well,' her voice had been a sharp slap in Malfoy's face, but after surveying the class, not a single one had responded to her tongue lashing. This had Kurama paying attention, sure he had been the closest to them, but why had he been the only one to hear her just then?

Her voice and a poke to his shoulder had Kurama launching out of his recollections and smilling in her direction, "Yes, Aurora? How may I assist you?" He was courteous as always, but all nerves on the inside.

Her silvery laugh filled the grounds and made Shuuichi smile a bit, "I asked how you were feeling. You looked off this morning, something up?" Aurora had long ago accepted that he would not say anything trivial or that she had no business knowing. In the beginning of the term it had been insulting when she thought her student couldn't trust her. After paying attention to him in and outside of class, she swiftly decided that wasn't the case. She didn't know what the case _was_ but she felt better knowing it wasn't an inability to trust on his part.

Kurama gave serious thought to her question before speaking softly, "Please, sit. The willow won't bite you so long as I'm here." Rustling of grass next to him notified Kurama of his new sitting companion. Her immediate trust of him surprised him slightly, but he brushed it off, "hn. It's nothing, really. On a different note, how are the rest of the students progressing?"

"Alright, I suppose, though many of them would do well with your added guidance. That's another reason I sought you out during your break, I have a request to make of you," Jade didn't really know how to ask him for a favor. "Since you obviously have a pretty serious grasp on this subject, and the rest of your class risks failing, I was interested in recruiting you to be a co-teacher. Or at least something to that effect," she added swiftly, misunderstanding his pensive expression for one of dislike, "Maybe just a position on the side? Or maybe if you tutored half the class and I'll tutor the rest? It's too many students for myself to do all of them, but they seriously need it."

"Please, Aurora, calm down. I never said I wouldn't do any of that, but the tutoring idea is a sound plan. Have you a plan for how to divide the students? I think about the teaching idea, one-on-one is much more my style," Shuuichi's voice was calming and accepting, but held a hint of warning. He would not take it easily on the students he taught simply because they were weak.

She nodded in understanding and spoke, "Then you can teach the Gryffindor students. At least that way you'll have less of a disadvantage with the way your students see you."

Kurama understood that concept quite well and nodded without needing an explanation. "When would you have me begin?"

"I believe the Gryffindor students have a break later this evening, your best bet is to speak with several of them before you wish to meet all of them. Their loyalty to each other is difficult to break, but if you befriend a few, it will be much easier to sway the group," Aurora stood up, her voice changing, "I don't care where you teach them or in what way or order. Just make sure they have enough understanding to pass a test," Her voice was soft and gentle again as she offered a hand to Shuuichi to help him up.

"Thanks for the tip, Aurora. Got any idea where they are now?" His tone indicated that he was mostly business now, but there was a bit more respect there. More respect than he'd give anyone in her position if they weren't a friend, but not quite enough to indicate the full trust of a friendship. They were colleagues now, and he would give her the proper respect that position demanded. Kurama was loathe to admit it, but he was feeling a bit less lonely than he had that morning.

Her blue eyes studied the sky before saying, "You might try the greenhouses for now, I seem to recall that to be their particular haunt at this hour." She smiled at him again and walked off, probably heading to the south tower, where her classes were held.

Kurama stood after a moment and focused on Shinku. The vines that held Shinku up, in particular, _'Learned your lesson?'_ Shuuichi's voice flowed along their bond, fully expecting the bristling response.

_How dare you tie me up?! And then ignore me?!_ Shinku fell silent for a moment, and in curiosity Kurama focused his gaze on the Great Hall, which was being entered by Professor Jade. _Oh, I see. Had a date with the professor._

'_Not really, Professor Jade asked me for a favor, now come along. We need to "Infiltrate" Gryffindor Tower,'_ Kurama chuckled a bit at his terminology and gave an impatient tug on the bond that was between them.

_Alright already! ... What do you mean by 'infiltrate'?_ Shinku landed gently on the parquet floor of the Hall and flounced out the doors before being tugged onto his face. _Oi! I'm coming, impatient bastard._ Shinku dutifully increased his pace to keep up with his 'master'.

Seeing Shinku's willing accompaniment, Kurama shortened his stride to make it easier on his feline companion. His emerald eyes flashed as the sun glinted off of the greenhouse roofs, _'In there,'_ his tone turned playful, _'how to get them out… I only need to talk with a few, best not to make a mess.'_ He spoiled his own fun in light of wisdom.

Shinku recognized the change within Kurama and grinned, _need me for this plan of yours?_

'_Probably not, but you can stand by and not make a mess. That will help greatly,'_ Kurama directed to him apologetically as he made his way to the third greenhouse. He straightened his uniform and knocked a few times before entering. "Hello Professor Sprout," his kind voice interrupted her lecture softly.

"Shuuichi? What are you doing here? How may I help you?" Her flustered voice filled the glass building and silenced the few chattering mouths in the back.

"I came her on behalf of Professor Jade, I need to borrow a few students for a moment. It won't take long," He gestured to the class at large and smiled disarmingly.

Professor Sprout nodded her consent and looked thoughtful, "Any students?" At Shuuichi's silent nod, she continued, "Alright then, you heard Miniamino. Longbottom, you won't need this lecture, neither will you Miss Granger, you too Thomas and Finnegan. Will that be suitable, Shuuichi?" At his nod, the four selected students filled their way outside following the distrusted Slytherin and his cat.

Kurama held the door open with a few augmented blades of grass, even after he walked away from it, letting the door close after the four Sixth years had passed through. Ignoring their murmers and momentary gasp of curiosity and impression, Kurama stopped walking and turned around. The six of them formed a broken circle, four on one side and two on the other, it was obvious the Gryffindor students didn't trust the Slytherin, but that lack of trust was misplaced.

"As you know from Professor Sprout just now, I am Shuuichi Minamino, and Professor Jade has asked a favor of me," He paused a moment for the four to settle down, "She wants me to tutor the Gryffindor portion of her class."

Miss Granger was not impressed, or at least didn't show it on the outside, "Why should we listen to you? You aren't any older than us."

"My dear, you of all people should recognize the insignificance of age upon skill," Kurama's silky smooth voice sharply cut down her argument.

"Why should we listen to you though? Hermione has a point," The boy who had twitched at the name Longbottom spoke out. His voice gave away his nervousness at facing down a Slytherin, but his inner strength was one of the few that had grown the most under Professor Jade's guidance.

Kurama smiled and nodded, "True, you have no idea how good I may be. A demonstration, then?" He turned his back on the group and walked several paces away. When the students made to follow him, Shinku held up a paw in silence, recommending sticking their ground.

Kurama didn't know how best to prove to them he wasn't using his wand, he could think of a thousand different ways to kill or maim or destroy a thing, but this proved to be a good mental exercise. **'You could always just show off your rose whip. That tends to be most effective in cases like these, just deal with the stubborn ones after the show,'** Youko suggested, his cello-like voice reverberating within Kurama's mind.

Leaving out the cheesy shout of 'Rose Whip' Kurama turned around to face them and summoned his Rose, made a big show of enjoying its scent, and then flicked his wrist. One hundred rose petals showered the air, as a very real and very lethal vine encrusted whip whistled through the air. Several more flicks and an acrobatic move or two and the grass around them had been cut, along with the leaves of trees nearby, all of which grew back and the cuttings from which grew slightly as well. Returning his whip to seed form, he tucked it away into his hair. Kurama bent down and collected an armful of the cuttings and walked back to the group, tossing them down in front of the four.

"Do you believe me now?"

"But how…? What _was_ that…?!" Finnegan shouted obnoxiously after feeling through the pile and finding them to be real.

"_That_, Finnegan, is what I can do with Professor Jade's lessons. I am from Japan, so this magick is natural to me. Am I a suitable tutor?" Kurama's voice held an edge only noticeable to those who knew him. But unfortunately, it was also an edge that he couldn't act upon in this company. If they still doubted him, his first move in the Makai would have been to kill one of them, or at least beat them in a duel. Not here, it was forbidden by Koenma.

Hermione was busy casting spells on the cuttings, determined to find a flaw, determined to prove that he had created the cuttings with a spell she didn't know. But after shooting as many spells as she could think of, she was the first to recover, "Fine. What do you want from us?"

"Good girl, you need to help me meet with the rest of the Sixth year Gryffindor class. Whether we meet in the common room, or outside, it doesn't matter to me, so long as I can meet with all of you tonight," His voice was soft again, calm and patient.

She paused for a second, the Common Room was out, since she'd never give him the password, let alone _lead_ a Slytherin into their stronghold. "Considering everything involved and your previous example, why don't we meet outside at 5pm sharp? We can meet by the lake and go wherever you want to after that, suitable?"

Kurama knew there was more to her reasoning than she spoke of, but it wasn't something he could blame her for, it was actually something he commended her for. "Fine enough by me, I'll see everyone then. Do not forget," His voice changed to ice with his last phrase, he was not joking with them and would not respond well to being ignored. He walked between them and opened the door once again, letting the students pass by, "Thank you Professor," he offered before closing the door to the third greenhouse.

Shinku was waiting for him a couple meters away, _I don't suppose we could skip out on the meeting, could we?_

Kurama caught up with Shinku and frowned, _'I can't, but you can,'_ Kurama sighed and studied the clouds for a moment. _'Come on, let's go get some food,'_ his offer was met with a happy purr of excitement before he began to race Shinku to the kitchens. A blue blur matched by a red and black one.

_Here they come, late, but they came. I'm leaving,_ Shinku announced as he got up and stretched, waking Kurama up from his nap beneath a tree of his own making. Shinku glared at the body of students heading for the tree as Shinku wound his way through.

Kurama woke to the simultaneous alerts of Shinku's voice and the grass telling him of a large group coming his way. He sat up and leaned against the tree, a beautiful Sakura that should not be growing here, it was his own creation. Meant for an eye opener, a symbol of his power to those who would recognize it for what it was, and a sensory cleanser. This particular brand of Sakura had a knack for aiding in meditation and the clearing of thoughts, it had done wonders for Kurama during his nap.

"Welcome, Gryffindor House. For those of you who do not know me, or have not heard my name, I am Shuuichi Minamino, Slytherin Sixth year, exchange student from Japan," Kurama stood and bowed slightly in greeting. He squelched a smirk as several other students tried to imitate his bow but failed. His attention was caught, however by a shorter Gryffndor who performed a respectful bow in return, though it was of a different brand than his own. It held a strong current of martial arts. Passing it off as a student who had an affinity for such things, he simply offered her a smile and moved on.

"I trust you have all attended and are all aware of what is to occur. Please speak up now so I don't waste my time foolishly," Kurama's emerald green eyes swept the crowd and nodded once when no hands were raised. "Please, form a semi-circle around the Sakura tree behind me and sit," Kurama himself sat Indian style and breathed deeply, patiently waiting for all of the dimwitted stragglers to catch on and sit down.

"Now then, let's begin by meditation, if Professor Jade's strategy did not work for you, try mine. Close your eyes and feel yourself relaxing, slow your breathing and deepen your breaths as well. Calm your mind and do not think about anything, focus on the scent of the Sakura tree if you must focus on something. Feel your mind begin to leave the realm of the physical and 'float' in your inner space. Float there for a while and take in your surroundings," His voice was soft and low, carrying to all of their ears easily and going slow to allow them all to take each step at their own pace. His voice lowered and slowed as he came to an end of his instructions, "notice your energy spread throughout your whole body, pull your energy to your core and hold it there as long as you can. Do not forget to clear your mind while you do this, slow your thoughts and make them blank."

Kurama followed his own instructions slipping into the final stage as easily as one might pull on a jacket, the moves and his inner self were so familiar. For fifteen minutes he meditated, having moved on to the more complex steps he was familiar with. He reached out into the grass and observed each student's progress. Smilling he dropped out of meditation, overall, the class was doing mediocre. A little better than a child would accomplish at his first try, but a few were holding their energy with greater ease. They had probably followed Aurora's instructions and practiced in their own time.

Clapping his hands twice, Kurama effectively brought all of them from their meditation. Some came more smoothly than others, rising from within with a practiced air, others stumbling without ease. "Swiftness in moving in and out of your mind is not the goal here," he advised, "It is ease and smoothness. One can easily break the surface of the lake with a rock by throwing it to the bottom. But more difficult is it to let the rock reach the bottom with the least amount of disturbance on the surface possible. Let me show you."

Kurama knelt at the base of his tree and pulled his energy from the seed, as he did so, the tree regressed in its stages and was soon a seed again which he plucked from the earth and replaced in his hair. After walking to the shoreline, he bent over and retrieved a rock, "Observe." He tossed the rock up into the air, and let gravity pull it through the water, "That is the normal interaction between a rock and the surface of water. Now, forced," Kurama bent a retrieved another rock and threw it down, creating a large splash. He got wet for his efforts, but the difference was noted by his pupils. He knelt again and retrieved a final rock, as well as a rose from his hair, creating a thorn-less vine, "And now, eased," Kurama wrapped the vine around the rock and slowly let the vine grow, lowering the rock past the surface and to the bottom. As he did so, he spoke, "Observe how few and tiny the ripples are that are created by the rock."

A small voice from the crowd behind him spoke up, feminine and snobbish, "I see just fine. I don't understand what a rock has to do with my mind. Are you calling us pebble-brains?"

Kurama turned and fixed the girl with an icy stare, "I have much more inventive ways of insulting those who deserve it, child. As for the rock-to-mind principle, I could not have began the lecture better. Our environment is most easily described as water, when minds or energy is moved, ripples are created. Like the rock, if you throw your energy, anyone who is barely trained in this art can tell where it is, where its going and, more importantly, where it came from. In a battle, this is unsatisfactory. Understand?" Kurama's voice lessened in ice, but remained sharp, his displeasure clear. At her silent nod, he let out a sigh and told them to write down their break times for each day on a sheet of paper.

Hermione scrambled to pull out a pencil and a scroll from her purse, ignoring the incredulous looks her friends and those around her were giving her. "What?" she inquired defensively, "I wanted to be prepared just in case he wanted us to take notes!" She wrote her name down, filled out her information and passed it on to her red haired friend.

"What am I supposed to write on? I can't write mid-air like you Hermione!" His voice was whiney; apparently he hadn't been doing so well in the classes.

Her huff of irritation was well placed, she sighed and put the scroll on the ground, "There, Ron! Happy?" She tapped her foot impatiently while Ron and then the black haired boy after him finished writing their names and times down before she stalked away to the other side of the understood class boundary.

Kurama watched each student as they filled the scroll with information, attaching a name to each face. Once they had all finished, he rolled the scroll up and returned the pencil to Hermione, "Thank you, Miss Granger. I'll give you a new scroll tomorrow, the rest of you should continue to practice in your free time and expect a letter from me detailing when and where our meetings will occur. For now, you are dismissed, thank you," Kurama made his way back to the castle as the sun slipped down behind the forest line. He paused momentarily and admired the sunset, allowing the Gryffindor students to pass by him. Unbeknownst to him, one other student had brought paper and pencil.

As he stood there, he felt a piece of paper slide into his palm as the last Gryffindor passed by. His head turned and his other hand went to catch the person's arm while his right hand brought the paper to his gaze. His left hand missed, but he called out, "Wait, what is this?"

The woman paused for a moment and turned her head, saying only, "It is a piece of paper with a note written on it. You should read things for yourself before asking foolish questions, Sempai." With that, the woman continued to walk towards the castle, leaving behind a flustered and surprised Kurama.

It wasn't her short answer that had shocked Kurama into speechlessness; it was her unexpected proper use of a Japanese word combined with the proper inflections, and the recognition of her face from before as the girl who had bowed properly. Sensibility returned to him and he read her note. His grip on the parchment loosened enough that a soft breeze lifted it from his hand. He called out for the grass to latch onto the note. He recovered and retrieved the note, crumpling the parchment and tucking it into his inner jacket pocket as he entered the castle for the night.

Summary so far - Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and what mission is so sensitive that Kurama must avoid contact with the Tantei? Kurama has been recruited by Professor Jade to help her tutor the Sixth year class in Japanese Magic. Who is this new student who gave him that note? And what did it say?

This chapter is 9 pages long in MSWord and is 4,140 words long!

See what happens when you leave me reviews?

I still dunno what the plot is, and if you have any questions, I'll be happy to sort things out for you!

Happy Reading!


	3. Exploring Allies

Double Edged Blade, by Elisavan Yaslana

* * *

Disclaimer - I do not own any of the work done by Yoshihiro Togashi, nor do I own any works completed by J. K. Rowling. The Characters own themselves and their own actions. I can only take credit for my interpretation of their personality to shape reactions to a previous reaction of the prior action. I can only take credit for the genre, I own the plot line, I have a general idea of what is going on, but I'll be honest and tell you up front, I may become unaware of what my story is doing, even as I write it down. This story is mine for those reasons, but the major building blocks do not belong to me. Expect to see a few sightings of other anime, I will disclaim them at the proper time.

Warning: Language and Questionable Themes. Not Recommended for children under the age of 13.

Welcome to the Mind Fuck, let me Ninja your brain for a moment/eternity

Exploring Allies –

Summary so far - Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and what mission is so sensitive that Kurama must avoid contact with the Tantei? Kurama has been recruited by Professor Jade to help her tutor the Sixth year class in Japanese Magic. Who is this new student who gave him that note? And what did it say?

Quick notes

_Text_ Different language/mental conversations (use context clues to decide which is which)

**Text** Youko speaking directly to anyone

Generally speaking, a '…' will denote mental conversations, a "…" will denote speech or something written down (again, context clues are your friend!)

* * *

Kurama lay back on his four-poster, silently fingering the parchment that strange woman had bestowed upon him. One more time, he looked at the spidery script and kanji that graced the paper:

"_Genkai sends her regards. She will be joining us sometime after Winter Solstice and asks that we wait for her before we do anything 'stupid'._

I'd like to request a lesson time, because my personal training schedule is already set up. Let me know if 3 is a bad starting hour. The Japanese is there just in case you can't understand written English very well.

- Ivory Goturena"

'_So, Miss Goturena knows the old Psychic. Very well then, having someone else with common ground is more refreshing than I would have imagined. Have I gotten __**that**__ soft? I am disappointed, ah well, it can't be helped,_' Shuuichi's private thoughts were all to himself and Youko, who nodded in agreement.

'**Yes, you are getting soft. If I cared more, I would call it dishonorable.'**

'_Hey! That was a bit harsh. Why do you think she's here?_' Kurama's hand was steady as he deftly spread a piece of his own parchment over his History book and began filling the page with flowing English script.

'**I won't presume to know, and neither should you. Remember to keep your mind open to all possibilities, that way you won't be surprised when the least likely situation turns out to be true.'**

'_I know,_' Kurama replied halfheartedly, the note taking up most of his concentration. "Thank you, Miss Goturena, for considering both my schedule and possible difficulty with a foreign language. 3 is just fine for tomorrow, after that we can figure out a more stable schedule for the rest of the year," just for good measure, he added in a bit of Japanese here as well, if the note was intercepted, he didn't want their meeting place to be watched. "_The Trophy room is always a nice place to begin a tour, from there we can head up to the astronomy tower, I hear the stars are quite pretty there,_" Kurama finished off with a flourish and added his name in both traditional Japanese (_Minamino Shuuichi_) and in a prettily flowing script (Shuuichi Minamino), before folding it up and pocketing it.

'**You gonna deliver it tonight?'**

'_Sure, why not? It will mean that our meeting time is moved up by 24 hours, but that isn't a problem,_'

'**Speak for yourself, I haven't slept in several days, I was looking forward to sleeping tonight. I suppose it is for the better that someone will be awake to guard us. Human bodies are so fragile when sleeping.'**

'_Ah, I wasn't aware of that Youko. I'll try not to do anything foolish, then. Have you seen that cat?_'

A ruffled masculine voice interrupted rather insulted, _The 'cat' is right here,_ Shinku's tail could barely be seen flicking back and forth against the dark background the sky provided in the open window he had hopped onto. _Are we going anywhere interesting?_

Kurama stifled a snicker at his expense, '_I'm afraid not; I'm just dropping off a note for now._'

If it were possible, Shinku's eyebrow would have shot up into his hairline with that statement, _For now? Kurama, tell me you haven't gotten distracted by a girl!_ Shinku was teasing…mostly.

The sharp glare sent his direction coupled with a scoff quickly convinced Shinku otherwise, '_Of course not! The recipient of this note is of no consequence, simply a student I am to tutor._'

Privately, Youko voiced his opinion on the matter, **Be honest with him, Shuuichi.**

'_Sorry Youko, but here it isn't safe. Maybe later somewhere else, but for now let him believe what we know to be true. No speculations,_' Shuuichi's level headed response managed to quell Youko efficiently.

Shinku's sudden comment reminded the two souls that there were more than two beings present, _Ah well, never mind then. Sounds boring anyways, besides, I think I'll take a nap before going on that patrol duty you forced on me._

'_Fair enough, it'll be boring anyways. I expect to be back in a little while, so I will see you later,_' Shuuichi's voice softened, noting the tinge of weariness that colored his familiar's voice. Apparently, Shinku did more in his off time than Shuuichi had originally speculated. '_Even cobalt cats chase mice,_' he mused absently while watching said cat curl up in a ball at the end of his four-poster bed.

Shinku's sleepy comment was indignant, _I'm not a cat! And meeting a girl is never boring. Say it enough and fate decides to play tricks with you._ With his warning aptly delivered, Shinku settled back into himself to rest for a while.

* * *

The resounding tone of the hourly bell notified the red-haired Slytherin boyo of the time. In a few hours, the entire castle would be expected in dream-land. But not he, there was a meeting of great interest to him that morning. You see, in Japan '3' refers to the morning hour Americans refer to as '3 am'. If Shuuichi had preferred to meet in the afternoon, he would have written '15', and the woman receiving the note … well, that was the big test. To see if she showed up in the dark hours or not; if she did, then she will have passed one test. Shuuichi climbed a few more steps and frowned at the blank hallway in front of him. Every single one of their energies could be traced to that very hallway, but there were no more doors to open on the trail he had been following since the great hall.

_But…_ he leaned closer to the wall and felt along it with his demonic energy, _every one of them seems to have passed through this… painting? That can't be right…_

Disbelieving, Shuuichi performed a cursory glance down the hallway from left to right, assuring himself that no one was watching, before he _I can't believe I'm doing this…_ knocked on the frame of the portrait.

"Password?" A disgruntled voice inquired.

Startled, Shuuichi stepped back a few steps, and momentarily searched for the voice before pinning it as the frumpled lady in a pink dress in the painting whose frame upon which he had just knocked.

"Pardon me, M'lady," Shuuichi fell back on formalities in his brief moment of surprise, "I wish to pass on a letter to a friend of mine. Could you let me in so I could look for her? It will only take a moment, I promise."

"I am sorry, young man, but unless you have the password…I cannot let you in."

_Well, it could have gone worse… there may be hope yet._

"Very well then, I understand. Could you please find Miss Goturena for me, and tell her Minamino-san has something for her?" His hopeful eyes and sweet smile he hoped would be enough to appeal to her better nature.

Her huff of indignance quickly showed that she was not impressed by his 'antics', "You aren't going to leave me be until this letter of yours is delivered, are you?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I must insist," His voice caught a softer tone, a bit more understanding of her position, "I would much prefer if it were delivered by me to her, as well, if it's not too much trouble."

The woman sighed and huffed a few more times to show her unwillingness to comply, but when he showed no signs of deterring, she threw her hands up and exited her portrait. Shuuichi would have been caught off guard at this behavior, but he had witnessed it once before in a much less violent manner. Koenma's offhand remark of moving pictures had far from prepared Kurama for the shock when a man from a portrait had followed him around one day holding a one-sided conversation. Shuuichi had promptly found a new method of getting to those classes for the rest of the term.

After a few more minutes of patient pacing in front of the empty painting, Shuuichi was rewarded when a creak heralded the arrival of Miss Goturena. He spun deftly, trying to mask as much of his elegant balance as possible, setting a bright smile and eager emerald eyes upon the captivating woman of the evening. "Thank you, M'lady, for helping me. Miss Goturena-"

"Please, Ivory-san will do. My father's name has never pleased me," Her unwarranted interruption caused the lady in pink to scoff unnoticed behind their retreating backs: "Dropping formalities that soon? What has adolescence descended to nowadays?!"

Shuuichi was caught off guard as well, before chuckling and acquiescing, "Of course, Ivory-san. In that case, feel free to call me Shuuichi-san, as well. I have a response for you, but I'm afraid I must be getting back to my dormitory very soon." He retrieved the paper from an inner pocket and procured it for her, smiling once again.

Ivory's icy-filled blue eyes twinkled happily as her hand reached out to receive the parchment. "Not a problem, I have studying to attend to myself…" Her eyes changed slightly as she read the spidery ink, the ice shifted, contemplating. As though she were completing her previous thought, she spoke, "I'll probably be awake all night, myself. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow for our lesson, Shuuichi-san?"

Her eyes held a barely hidden knowledge, but as soon as he nodded, "Of course, then I won't keep you. Goodnight, Ivory-san," the hidden knowledge slipped behind a piece of ice and became invisible. He walked her back to the portrait to be courteous, and bid the pink lady a goodnight. _She knows. Whoever sent her, knew at least partially what they were doing. Ivory-san is a sharp one. Her eyes…quite a mystery, but if she is respectable, there will be much more time to unravel that mystery. More pressing is the matter of her loyalties and where they lay, more distressing: how deep do they run and why?_

Shuuichi's thoughts were occupied until the words, "Black Widow," were coaxed forth and he was stepping into the Slytherin Common Room. With his usual indifferently cold recognition of the younger students and his slightly less-so nod to Malfoy (**I can relate to him in a small manner, though someone ought to teach that boy a lesson about loyalty** _Well, we are in a perfect position to do so, don't you think? _**Shut-it red**) Shuuichi made his way down the spiral staircase to his room.

Shinku was absent, having left for his patrol, and most of the other students this year were probably hanging all over Malfoy or avoiding the dormitories entirely to get away from Shuuichi. Rumors were circulating, and the current debate was swaying between Malfoy and Minamino over who held more intimidation powers. Youko could have scoffed, **I'm not even trying! Can't we please just have fun for a day?** _No, we need to keep up appearances. ALL appearances, Youko._ A short and disgruntled, **Spoilsport** was his only response before Youko returned to his light slumber.

Casting a withering glare over his schoolbooks, he picked up History again. That was the one and only class that he could not study for while listening to it. Aside from Astronomy and Potions, but both of those were laughable for different reasons. Being a thousand years old does wonders for your ability to reckon where you are according to the sky when you need to figure out where you are. Potions was laughable for a different reason, but still deeply entwined with his age. While Kurama rarely relied on Youko's strength, wisdom was one thing he would never throw away. Those millennia of 'practicing' and 'testing' managed to save his ass several times, not to mention nearly fry him when something went wrong the other half of the time.

Experience is truly the only way to practice for potions, but the only thing that troubled him were the relatively new and somewhat exotic materials. Some of them he'd never seen since before the Kakai barrier was put in place, and one or two he'd never seen outside of Professor Snape's office. Okay, so Charms and Transfiguration gave him trouble in the beginning before he figured out how to use the twig in his hand without turning it into a tree somewhat resembling a teacup or owl or feather, depending upon what he was supposed to be transfiguring into. Once that small bridge was crossed, Shuuichi had the most control of his Slytherin classmates. Not surprisingly, Shuuichi was the star of the school, again.

Hearing the bell tower just barely through the stone, he sighed, realizing that in his reminiscence, the same page had been read in two hour's time. While English wasn't his native tongue, he had better reading skills than that. Snapping the book shut, Shuuichi settled for going over the list of names and times he had acquired earlier that evening.

_Hermione Granger_

_Ronald (Ron) Weasley_

_Harry Potter_

_Lavender Brown_

_Seamus Finnegan_

_Neville Longbottom_

_Parvati Patil_

_Dean Thomas_

_Ivory Goturena_

And going over the list of his own Slytherin Class he had compiled himself.

_Millicent Bulstrode_

_Vincent Crabbe_

_Tracey Davis_

_Gregory Goyle_

_Daphne Greengrass_

_Draco Malfoy_

_Theodore Nott_

_Pansy Parkinson_

_Zabini Blasé_

Not including himself because he wouldn't have to teach himself, that would just be silly.

Earlier he had gotten a rather strong flickering of awareness if nothing else from Longbottom, so by his name he made a mark, as well as by Granger, because such deft innate control with a wand made the possibility for deft control without so much greater. He frowned as he looked over the rest of the list and consulted his wrist, forgetting once again that his watch would not work with such a heavy concentration of magic. Sighing, he made a mental note to get a clock next time he went to Hogsmeade.

Consulting the horizon and the stars, he guessed that not much time had passed since the last tolling of the bell, and very quickly made up his mind to make his way to the library. At least there he could have a proper table with all the reference material he would need for his history and Arithmancy homework. The number system and the powers associated here are different from those back in Japan and in the Makai, so the course showed special interest to him.

Shuuichi gathered up his notes for History and the notes for the class he was to tutor, placed them in his bag and headed up to the library. As he passed through the Common Room, one of the first years thought they'd be smart and throw a barrage of paper balls at him. Unfortunately, he was unable to set them on fire, because that would have been great fun. Instead he simply dodged the few he could without calling attention to his heightened abilities and knocked the rest that would have hit him away with a hand. Tossing them a smile Shuuichi paused for a second before walking out, saying as he went, "Your aim must improve if you expect to actually hit anything."

With the first years sufficiently irritated and Malfoy unintentionally amused for a long while, he made his way out of the dungeons and into the library after the fifth flight of stairs. Smiling disarmingly to the few straggling students he met on the way, he held up a book and mumbled something about returning it to the library when one particularly nosy Ravenclaw asked what he was doing 'so far from the dungeons'. Glancing at the clock at the entrance to the library, he found that the Library had been closed for many hours, 6 to be exact, and he only had one left to wait before his meeting was scheduled to begin.

Kurama smiled wryly as he packed up his books and slung his bag easily over his shoulder. _I wonder if Miss Ice-Eyes is ready, I almost feel bad for submitting her to this, but it is a necessary cruelty. For the safety of everything._ Walking without sound, Kurama made his way to the trophy room where he leaned casually against a glass case. Catching the light sounds of footsteps, he stood regularly and was ready to supply a sufficient reason for being out of be after hours _as though he were just a child_ ah well, rules were rules. If he were caught breaking them without regard, Kurama would not be able to sneak under the suspicions of the professors.

* * *

Shifting his weight slightly, Shuuichi aimed for the careless school boy of a mere 16 years rather than his uptight battle-worn counterpart of 16,000 years. "Ivory-san," he spoke softly and with light relief as he recognized the approaching footsteps as belonging to her and not a professor.

He was met with a slightly worn expression beneath lidded blue eyes and a mess of tangled black hair. Surprisingly she managed to execute an almost graceful bow in her half-asleep state, mumbling out, "Shuuichi-san. Shall we?"

If Kurama were the type to make conclusions from first impressions, he'd assume that Miss Ivory preferred the day hours. Keeping that opinion to himself, Kurama let his green eyes flash in a friendly smile, before requesting kindly, "Please, after you." Shuuichi held the door open as his tired companion led the way to the astronomy tower. So far, she seemed to be genuinely from Japan sent by Genkai-sensei.

_Mou, only one way to find out for sure…_

Together the two silently maneuvered the corridor and staircase systems up to the tallest northern tower and shared a quiet sense of companionship. "Ivory-san. How did you come to know Genkai-sensei?"

Cryptic tired ice stared back at him blankly. Kurama was about to ask again in case she hadn't heard when her equally cryptic answer left her lips. "When the snow melts, what does it become?"

Confusion filled him, _it's not even winter! Why is she--_ and then he understood. It was a test. Genkai had mentioned something of the like before Kurama had left the Archipelago. "Ah, a sweet little lady you are, it becomes spring." Genkai-sensei had told him to remember and never repeat that phrase unless asked by the opposing key phrase. What would in one situation be a simple question suddenly became vital for identification in another.

Now warm blue eyes gazed up at him and he felt uncharacteristic warmth spread over his being. Blaming it on the humid night, Kurama brushed it off. "It's nice to meet you, Shuuichi Minamino, student of Genkai-sensei."

Smiling, he returned, "No, the pleasure is mine, Ivory Goturena. Beneath who did you study under, and how did you come to know Genkai-sensei?"

"Since we can trust each other now, those questions can wait until later. For now, let us attend to a different matter." Ivory turned and leaned her back against the parquet rather dangerously, and her blue orbs told him not to joke around.

Biting back his cautious side, he reminded himself that she was not a child like the rest of the students currently were, and refrained from chiding her like a kit. "I am guessing that you really wanted your training session to be _now_?"

"If I can at all avoid such a poor time, I'd love to. I'm not exactly…nocturnal." Serious blue orbs turned pensive, "Although why waste time when we're already here?"

Nodding respectfully, Shuuichi responded, "I'll see what I can do to give you the most convenient timing as possible. But for now, let's start at the beginning and see where you are."

The two of them sat down and began speaking at ease under the stars and the moon for light. Slowly becoming more accustomed to her presence, he slipped into a meditative state and quietly intoned instructions. He felt her moving just barely, her lessons in Japan had placed her far ahead of anyone else in her year, aside from himself. Moving from sphere to cube, to pyramid, Kurama discovered that she could already hold her energies in a sphere and other shapes with more difficult angles and sharp edges with ease. Her specialty, he accidentally discovered, was water.

…

"Now, take a sphere in your mind, and fill it with whatever comes to you first and push it out of your mind, into the atmosphere," Kurama's soft and soothing voice guided her steps, steps she had once before taken in Japan. Unfortunately for everyone involved, air is much less accepting about energy being moved around in it, so her sphere of water did not stay as a sphere for very long in the air.

"Cold, very cold!" She whimpered as a breeze chilled the both of them to the core.

Being a gentleman, Kurama shrugged out of his over-jacket and placed it over her, as his was less soaked than hers. "Let's call it a night and get some rest," his green eyes were unreadable, but also not accusatory. "You did well; keep practicing self control and accommodating concentration and holding a shape in your mind as you train."

Moaning like she had been punished horribly, Ivory stood up and nodded. "Here," she motioned to shrug his jacket off and his hands fell lightly onto her shoulders, with the least amount of physical touching as possible, as was custom.

"No, return it to me some other time. It wouldn't do well for you to miss other classes due to a self-inflicted cold." He held up a hand in silence, "I assure you, I'll be fine. I have another one that I can wear for the time being."

He watched her eyes shift, "My classmates will wonder how I came to have a Slytherin embossed jacket."

She was right, the embroidery on the edges was in silver and the overwhelming masculinity would probably raise more than a few eyebrows. Nodding after a moment, "Just say that a Slytherin prick spilled water on you and you coerced him into lending you his jacket for the night, at wand point." His tone was level in severity, but his eyes danced a bit with humor.

"I suppose so, very well. I shall see you tomorrow in class then?" her ice shifted in what he assumed was humor as well.

"No, I'll see you two days from now. Tomorrow Slytherin and Ravenclaw have lecture together. Shall I escort you back to the dormitory?"

She executed a small bow in thanks and spoke quietly, "Thank you, 'Slytherin Prick' I would appreciate that."

Masking his humored expression with a bow of his own, Kurama indicated that Ivory should precede him down the stairs.

* * *

In the candlelight, a pale hand scrawled notes over the parchment beneath in flowing dark violet inky script. Some of the lines had been crossed out, and one single line had been underlined.

"_On the account of the Exchange student from the Japanese Archipelago: This student shows curious traits, and a few attributes in his psyche are worthy of further investigation._"

"_Professor Jade has elected to give private lessons. This opportunity should be ideal to attain a closer view of 'Shuuichi Minamino'._"

"_Professor Jade announced yesterday that she would be tutoring the students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses. Any student with a preference to study under Mr. Minamino will be reviewed and then the case decided._"

A rapping on the door stalled the hand which had been following the list of statements and notes. "Enter," a voice responded shortly while the quill was put away and the scroll tucked away into a drawer.

* * *

A ray of sunlight beamed down into Kurama's face, disturbing him from his previously pleasant sleep. A moment passed.

And then he realized…

He had closed his bed-curtains before sleeping last night. Careful not to tense or appear more awake than he had been a few moments before, he reached mentally for his bed-side table to where a potted ivy plant sat peacefully. Hopefully ignored by any attackers, Kurama grew his Ivy to a much more potent length, enough to strangle someone with.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

And found silver glaring down at him.

"Malfoy, is there a particular reason _why_ you deemed it necessary to wake me instead of letting me wake on my own?"

Humor danced coldly in silver eyes, just barely holding onto the gaze electric green orbs were casting into his own. A smirk crossed his face, "Unless you want to miss Foreign Magick completely, as you did breakfast…" He trailed off and left the room for the spiral stair-case which led up to the rest of the castle.

Cursing under his breath at the retreating back of his classmate, he rolled out of bed and pulled his pants on simultaneously. "Totally lost track of time, Aurora might forgive me, but if Youko gets win-" **Stupid sleepy-headed human of a boy!** Cringing as he pulled his shirt on, he reached for a brush with one hand and his cloak with the other. _Bitch at me later Youko,_ he snapped while stepping into his shoes, _I didn't get to sleep until about 5 this morning._** Oh, sure. Blame it on the lady.** Kurama snarled as he passed through the common, to the terror of other Slytherin students who were either skipping class or weren't in one currently.

Bounding through the great hall and up the stairs three at a time, it was difficult not to just fling caution to the wind and take the stairs landing-by-landing. Making sure to breathe as though he were winded as he reached the top and made his way to the Classroom in which Ravenclaw and Slytherin students occupied.

At his entrance all but two people looked his direction. Malfoy, he could tell even from behind from the silver-blonde hair, and another pale boy in Ravenclaw robes. Flushing and bowing deeply, he realized that the class had already begun meditation. Aurora flicked him a withering glare as he toed off his shoes before taking his place on the tatami mat. Sitting quietly, he felt the rest of the class relax in the absence of ruckus and heard the sound of Professor Jade standing.

Her voice carried lightly over the whole of the class, "Unfortunately, today Meditation won't do us much good. There is not much time left until I was going to introduce a new concept anyway." Shuuichi felt her heated stare on him without looking and knew he was going to get a lecture later. "Please rise," her command was met with rustling and general sounds of feet scuffling and joints creaking as the class obeyed her. Not even Malfoy grumbled today, probably because he knew what would be dealt to Kurama after class. Shuuichi stood grimly and fell naturally into a balanced and easy-going pose.

Aurora began to move about the classroom giving quiet instructions, and Shuuichi waited patiently. "I'll deal with you later. For now, move to the south side of the room and begin going over how to manifest their energy outside of their bodies. I don't want to see a thing, but I do want them to get a feel for moving around outside of their minds," As he moved she caught his arm, "And Shuuichi-san. _Never_ arrive late again."

"Yes, Sensei," he replied as quietly as he could before gathering students around him. He waited for the last few to join the mass gathered around him and noted delicately that all those around him were not of one House. "I hope you remember was Professor Jade told us about working together in this class. While I am guiding you, I expect the same respect for each other to be expressed," His smile was kind but his eyes were serious as he began to introduce himself and his expectations to the impressionable group before him.

"Does anyone remember what is was Jade-sensei, or rather, Professor Jade told you about the differences in energies and how they can be used?"

A quiet Ravenclaw girl spoke up tentatively, her light purple eyes betrayed her fear as she intoned, "Our energies are different from one another, similar to fingerprints, and they also are different in that different people's energies are best attuned for executing different tasks. Also, each person's energy can be used for things like light, and healing, though some are better attuned for healing than others."

Slightly impressed by her memory, he spoke, "Very good. Building on that, there is a difference between pushing your energy out of your mind and creating light, healing something, or manifesting what your energy is superior at controlling. Part of that comes from what your soul, and consequently your energy, sympathizes with best. For example, mine is plant matter. But the first step in doing anything outside of one's body is energy concentration, purely and only that." Taking a break from his lecture he looked around for confused faces.

"Any questions so far?"

Unsurprisingly, the violet eyed girl remained silently pensive, mulling everything over but not confused. However, a girl from Slytherin house whose name he had understood as 'Daphne Greengrass' looked a bit lost. "Minamino," her voice was rough with irritation, "When will we get to the fun stuff? This is so boring and confusing."

Reigning in his sigh of annoyance, he responded with care, "If we were to jump directly to things like this," he paused and pulled a seed from his hair and made a rose with it, "instead of going over how to do this," he paused again and concentrated a sphere of just barely visible but clearly defined energy in his other hand, "your results would look something like this," he pulled his energy back from both hands and held out just the seed for viewing.

Sighing he finished with a level expression, "In other words. You'd learn absolutely nothing and would be pitiful at the basics." Returning the seed to his hair, he rubbed his forehead and temple, "Any other questions, or shall we move on to perfecting your aural spheres in the air?" He put his hands by his sides and replaced the weary expression with one of helpfulness.

"Sir-"

"Please, Minamino is fine, but if you must, call me Minamino-san. Sir sounds so… awkward. Please, continue."

"Sorry, Min-a-mi-no…, so, we just… 'push' the sphere out of ourselves?" Another Ravenclaw House member asked. This was the other boy who hadn't responded to his entrance.

Shuuichi refrained from wincing at the butchery of his last name and instead answered the question, "Yes, the difficulty becomes keeping it from dissipating. There is no risk of explosions; however there is a rather real risk of fainting, so I suggest taking it easy for now." He looked over to Aurora's group and was slightly impressed that Malfoy hadn't made himself pass out through over exertion yet.

Daphne snorted in indignation, "As though I would faint because of this small task, ha!"

A single eyebrow rose delicately over Kurama's face, "Really, now? Then I expect you to be the first one to do this task successfully."

Her fellow Slytherin cohorts chimed in cheerily, saying things like, "Fine, let's all be before Ravenclaw!" "I bet I can get one before everybody here!" And other competitive comments.

Shuuichi's cold voice sliced through their noise, "If you intend upon things of that nature, you'd better begin. The Ravenclaw House has already begun," he indicated the five seated figures to his right and noted that they were all concentrating quite diligently. "You really ought to try very hard. They have an advantage of time."

Sitting down and leaning against the wall, he watched as the rest of his group slammed themselves into meditative state, and chuckled to himself. _I wonder who really will do the best. Moreover, I wonder who __**he**__ is._ Determined to have two answers by the end of the class time, he sat back to observe with humor.

* * *

The distant tolling of a bell roused each student, of which only one had successfully materialized his energy into an orb. The student in question was ironically the very student with which Shuuichi desired to speak.

Mini-Flashback

To his right, a flicker of energy grew violently before being contained and subdued a moment later. Opening his eyes, green locked onto concentrated violet, and Shuuichi saw his success. Just above his lap and between his resting arms floated a transparent sphere of indiscernible color. Smiling lightly and nodding his praise, Shuuichi kept quiet to avoid disturbing the rest of his group. The boy then closed his eyes and kept the sphere stable.

Present-Time

As the bell tolled, there was a small hiss as the sphere fizzled away without the concentration of its master. Shuuichi wasn't the only one to hear the hiss, because Daphne immediately began accusing the vile Ravenclaw of cunning tricks and cheating. "He must have used his wand, or something!" She squealed at Kurama's blank expression.

"I don't know what this incessant babbling is about, Miss Greengrass, but I suggest you hold your tongue. His achievement was attained through acceptable means, but your attitude is foul. I have half a mind to take a few points from Slytherin House for that behavior," The smooth tone belonged to Professor Jade, behind whom stood the rest of the class, half of which watching intently the other half sending glares to the two women in question. Malfoy was glaring at both Daphne and Aurora, taking turns with his own cold stare.

Aurora turned toward her desk after a moment of silence and sighed, "Since Miss Greengrass has a pride and ego too large for her, class is dismissed and the Slytherin House may expect to see a reduction in points for her insolence. You are dismissed," she bent over her desk to make a note on some parchment and stood back up with a disappointed expression.

Most of the class hurried away to study and take advantage of the summer sun before it slipped away behind the ominous rain clouds of the morning, but a few lagged behind, mostly Ravenclaw students taking their time, or waiting to ask Professor Jade a question. But Shuuichi had a different aim. Catching the elbow of his successful student, he bowed lightly, "Sorry, may I have a moment?"

Startled violet eyes softened in recognition and gave a nod of his head in return, "Only if we walk towards my destination as we do so. Please, Minamino-san, after you."

Gathering his books and other class materials, Shuuichi glided out into the corridor and paused to allow his violet eyed classmate to join him. "I missed your name at the beginning of class, Mr.…"

"I hadn't realized, and I do apologize. I am Setsuno Hoshikori, Minamino-san," his voice intoned with small amount aloofness.

Shuuichi thought he was mistaken, but the male's face indicated only truth and support for what he had supplied. His face was much more Asian than that of his classmates, "Are you a transfer student, then?"

Hoshikori gave him a funny look and then grinned, "Not quite, or rather, not from Japan. I came from a small Italian town."

Shuuichi nodded his understanding and hopped over the disappearing stair as they headed down to the third floor. "Then why do you have a Japanese family name? I don't mean to pry, of course," he added assuringly.

"My mother was Italian, and my father Japanese," his voice became softer, as though reminiscing on something pleasant. "But neither of them are living anymore, I moved to England earlier this year, but spent what would have been my spring term getting settled into my Uncle's home."

"Ah, I see, my condolences for your loss," turning somber for a few moments, Kurama mulled over what Hoshikori had shared.

"Kori-kun!" a delighted female voice announced from somewhere behind them.

Spinning around with inhuman grace, both Kurama and Hoshikori turned to face the source happiness.

"Minamino-san, here I take my leave. I look forward to learning more about you in the future. I will see you tomorrow," His voice held a single note of dismissal and a few more of irritation, but those were covered by false tones of excitement.

Shoving away his sympathy and irritation at being dismissed, Kurama bowed lightly, "Of course, thank you for your time," Shuuichi directed to 'Kori-kun' with a smile before turning completely away and down the stairs after a smile and nod to the female, a young blonde with bright blue eyes.

His heightened hearing discerned a soft question, "Who is that, Senpai?"

Kurama stiffened slightly but reasoned his unease away; _there is no reason why Hoshikori would not have taught someone who looks up to him a bit of Japanese, which would probably be one of his native languages_.

"Just a class-mate of mine, child."

"I'm not a child! Why won't you pay attention to that?"

A chuckle floated down the stairwell at the edge of Shuuichi's hearing, and he suppressed a grin of his own. **Compared to me, everyone here is just a child.**

* * *

Owari-desu!!

More probably next week

If the gist of the story has lost you so-far, read this paragraph or ask questions! I will answer them.

Summary so far - Kurama has been sent to England, specifically Hogwarts, for a high profile mission. He was told to go alone, but is he really alone? What part does his blue feline familiar play in all this, and what mission is so sensitive that Kurama must avoid contact with the Tantei? Kurama has been recruited by Professor Jade to help her tutor the Sixth year class in Japanese Magic. A Japanese transfer student by the name of Ivory gave him a note requesting his aid and tells him that Genkai is on her way. She becomes a trusted person for Kurama and he is being watched by a suspicious person. Who is trying to get close to him and why? And who is Hoshikori, and why does he have such ease in materializing his psychic energy?

This chapter is 11 pages long in MSWord and is 6,177 words long!

See what happens when you leave me reviews/nag me/bribe me?

Happy Reading


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